Mind-Benders of Greek & Roman History
Rome's greatest orator was killed for his words — and displayed on the platform he spoke from
In the proscriptions that followed Julius Caesar's assassination, the orator Cicero was hunted down and killed in December 43 BCE. Ancient sources record that his severed head and hands were then displayed on the Rostra — the speaker's platform in the Roman Forum from which he had delivered his most famous speeches.
How we know
Cicero 106–43 BCE, executed 7 December 43 BCE in the proscriptions of the Second Triumvirate; head and hands displayed on the Rostra (Plutarch; Appian).
One of many fact-checked wonders across eight traditions at The Spring of Wisdom.